HAMBLEN COUNTY, Tenn. — Should a candidate with no experience in the classroom, or any experience in a school system, be able to lead a school district? That's what Hamblen County Schools will decide on Tuesday.
During their meeting, school leaders are expected to vote on the candidate they want to lead its nearly 10,000 students and around 690 teachers. They could choose General Arnold W Bunch Jr. who served in the U.S. Air Force and has no experience teaching children.
Before voting on the finalist, the board will vote on whether to change their own policies. It will decide on whether to change an existing policy that says any superintendent must have experience in a school district.
"The policy is in place to have a director of schools who has an educational background," said Vanessa Palmer, a parent in the school system. "Simply ignoring it or changing it so that it fits one candidate is simply wrong."
Normally, the policy could only be changed by voting on it twice over the course of two meetings. It would need to pass on the first reading as well as the second reading, which gives community members time to respond to the proposal and reach out to board members.
Instead, the board would use an emergency policy change to allow the change to go through after the first vote.
"I would think an emergency would be some sort of a natural disaster, such as when the pandemic started," Palmer said.
Carolyn Clawson, the chairperson of the board, said she believed the candidate has leadership qualities that could make him a good fit. She also said the board made several emergency policy changes during the pandemic, likening the possible policy change on who can qualify to be director of schools to other changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The next superintendent will need four votes for the job. Tracy McAbee and Gregory A. Brown are both also candidates up for consideration. Both have doctorates in education.
Tennessee requires superintendents have at least a bachelor's degree. Bunch Jr. has a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College.